Arco: the MultiLLM alternative with 400+ models to compare, not just three.
MultiLLM locks you to ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, bills you every month, and stores every conversation on their servers. Arco lets you pick from 400+ models on your own OpenRouter key, pay only for the tokens you actually use, and keeps every chat on your Mac.
The short version
Skip the scroll and get the verdict.
Where Arco wins
- 400+ models via your own OpenRouter key
- Chats stay on your Mac, never uploaded
- Pay once. No monthly bill, no query caps
Where MultiLLM falls short
- Only 3 provider families (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini)
- Query caps on every paid tier, no refunds
- Chats live on their servers, not yours
The verdict
Pick MultiLLM if you're on Windows, Linux, or mobile, or if you want zero-setup access to ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini in a browser. Pick Arco if you're on a Mac, want access to every model on the market (not just three), and don't want another monthly subscription.
Arco vs MultiLLM, feature by feature
Where each tool wins and where it falls short.
Three reasons people switch
The specific things MultiLLM can't match.
400+ models on tap, not just three.
MultiLLM gives you ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. That's it. Every other model on the market, Mistral, Llama, DeepSeek, Qwen, Grok, open-source fine-tunes, is off the table. Arco runs on OpenRouter, so anything OpenRouter supports is one click away. When a new model drops, you add its ID and use it that day.
Your chats stay on your Mac. Not on their servers.
Every MultiLLM conversation lives on their infrastructure so they can power history, search, pin, and share. That's their retention policy, their access controls, and their breach risk holding your prompts. Arco stores every chat locally. There is no server sitting between you and the model.
Your cost tracks your usage.
Skip a month with MultiLLM and they still charge you $190 or $390 a year. Skip a month with Arco and your token bill is $0. You bought the app once, you already own it. Pay OpenRouter for the days you actually asked something, not for the days you didn't.
What you actually pay over 3 years
MultiLLM bundles the subscription with API access. Arco separates them. You buy the app once and pay OpenRouter directly for the tokens you actually use. Here is the breakdown.
(yearly)
(yearly)
The fine print worth knowing
- Free tiers are not the same size. MultiLLM's free tier is 5 queries total, not 5 per month. Arco's free tier has full features with a 3-saved-conversation cap, so you can decide with real usage.
- Every paid tier still has a query limit. Pro is a "high" limit and Premium is a "maximum" limit. Neither is uncapped.
- Arco's ongoing cost is your OpenRouter usage. It can be $0 in a light month. MultiLLM bills the flat rate whether you used it or not.
Switching from MultiLLM? Here's how you start.
Three steps, about five minutes total.
Download Arco
Free forever tier, no card, no email required. macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon.
Add your OpenRouter key
Sign up at openrouter.ai (free account) and paste your key into Arco. One key unlocks 400+ models.
Ask every model at once
Type once. Every model you picked answers in parallel. Compare, summarize, copy.
What about my MultiLLM history?
Questions people ask before switching
Straight answers, including where MultiLLM still wins.
The best decision comes from the widest view. Compare 400+, not three.
Arco connects to every model on OpenRouter. Mistral, Llama, DeepSeek, Qwen, and hundreds more, all on your own key. So you can stop guessing and start deciding.